Times change, but local writers remain the backbone of our Opinion page

Beginning Monday, we are making some changes to our daily Opinion page.

Currently, we publish an Opinion page six days a week. Beginning this week, we will publish an opinion page four days a week: Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Content on those days will be a mix of News-Leader editorials, national columnists, local writers and letters to the editor.

The page will be managed by Matt Peterson, who oversees our print production. Matt is your contact for questions, ideas and submissions. Stephen Herzog, formerly in charge of the page, has moved to a new position in the newsroom.

Some columns are moving to online only in hopes that the extra space in print will encourage more readers to send us letters and columns for publication. The strength of a community’s editorial page rests on more than the editorial board’s take on various issues. While that is important, in our view, the strength of this page is the wide diversity of opinions that area citizens can offer each other.

An editorial page is still the home of civic discourse on issues important to a community. It is perhaps an old-fashioned forum, but it’s one that still holds an important place in society. Of course, social media allows anyone to say pretty much anything they want. But sometimes it is hard for the writer to know who is reading, or even who is responding.

The News-Leader’s editorial page has a much more defined audience. You know who the readers are — they are your neighbors and co-workers, local businesspeople, local officials and more. They are people whose opinions you value, and people who value yours.

We have a lot of interesting, thoughtful people in this community, of all ages and backgrounds. We want to take this opportunity to invite young people, especially, to take your opinions further by sharing them through letters or columns. Many people in my profession moan that people don’t read much anymore. (I disagree with that — people read more news today than ever before.) My take is different. I wish people wrote more. I miss what social media and blogs have siphoned off our pages — your writing on our shared Ozarks concerns and experiences.

So, consider this an invitation. To submit a letter, email it to letters@news-leader.com. All letters must include your name, where you live, and your phone number. Some longer letters are published as essays or columns.

To ask questions directly of Matt, contact him at 417-836-1276 or mpeterson4@gannett.com.

To contact me, call 417-836-1115 or email me at cwhitsitt@gannett.com.

Cheryl Whitsitt is editor of the News-Leader. She has been at the News-Leader for 31 years.